One of many decisions that students transitioning from high school to postsecondary education are faced with is what program of study and credential to pursue. This can be challenging, since students are often not aware of the opportunities and salary potential associated with different careers. The NC Tower database can provide some insight into this important question. NC Tower is a web-based data delivery system, maintained by the NC Department of Commerce, which provides aggregate…

Between 2014 and 2026, nearly 1.6 million students will enter the state’s K-12 public school system as ninth graders. Under current graduation rates, more than 213,000 of them are predicted to drop out or delay high school graduation. Let’s break it down further. For every 100 ninth graders that start public high school in NC: 86 graduate high school within 4 years. 14 dropout or take more than 4 years to complete high school. In…

Nationally, college enrollment declined by nearly half a million (463,000) between 2012 and 2013, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey. This was the second year in a row that saw a drop of this size. The Census Bureau noted that much of the decline took place among 2-year colleges or community colleges. Across the nation, enrollment at community colleges declined by 10% between 2012 and 2013, while 4-year colleges…